How to be a Pregnancy Friendly Workplace

1. How to be a Pregnancy Friendly Workplace

2. This Presentation Will Answer the Following Questions: • What are the benefits of being pregnancy friendly? • What are the rights of pregnant workers? • How can you prevent problems during pregnancy? • How can you make your workplace pregnancy friendly?

3. A healthy workplace makes good business sense. Promoting health can be simple and inexpensive. Information and a supportive environment can help a pregnant woman have a healthy pregnancy and healthy baby, while continuing to be a productive worker. Why Be Pregnancy Friendly?

4. What are the Benefits? Employees may: • Do a better job • Be absent and late less often • Be more likely to stay with the company • Have healthier pregnancies, babies, and families

5. Special Requirements During Pregnancy May Include: • Temporary relocation to another workstation • Temporary alternative duties • Flexible schedule to accommodate for medical appointments • More frequent breaks

6. Rights of Pregnant Workers Discrimination against women on the basis of pregnancy is sex discrimination and is illegal under Washington law (RCW 49.60.030[1][a]) and under the federal Civil Rights Act.

7. Examples of Discrimination Against a Pregnant Woman • Asking a potential employee if they are pregnant • Limiting or withholding opportunities or training • Not assigning her to a major project or team • Being overly critical of her work • Docking time for using the washroom more often • Making inappropriate remarks or jokes related to her pregnancy • Termination because of pregnancy • Subjecting her to unwanted transfers • Denying sick leave benefits

8. Preventing Problems During Pregnancy • Don’t wait until you have a pregnant worker to put in place healthy policies of practices. • Provide information on possible risks in the workplace. • Information on good health and a healthy work environment will help all workers, particularly men and women planning a family.

9. Preventing Problems During Pregnancy In general, it is safe for most pregnant women to continue working during pregnancy. Work itself does not increase the risk of having an unhealthy baby. However, there are some risks that can be reduced by planning ahead….

10. Heavy lifting Standing for long periods of time Working more than 40 hours per week Tobacco smoke Heavy metals Certain other chemicals Oil based paints Radiation Anesthetic gases Some infectious diseases Excessive heat and noise Stress and Fatigue Reproductive Health Risks in the Workplace

11. Examples of Reproductive Health Risks • Some chemicals, metals, and radiation are reproductive hazards, particularly during the first three months of pregnancy. • Standing and heavy lifting can cause a baby to be born too soon or too small.

12. It takes three months for sperm to develop. During that time, workplace exposures such as radiation, smoke, heat, or chemicals can cause low sperm counts, damaged sperm, infertility, miscarriage, or health problems in the baby. Men who are trying to start a family should be aware of these risks. Men Can be Affected Too

13. Health initiatives send a message to employees that their health is important. Small changes can make a big difference. Making the Workplace Pregnancy Friendly

14. This can be done in several ways: Surveys Individual interviews Suggestion boxes Focus groups Start by Determining Needs

15. Steps to a Pregnancy Friendly Workplace • Involve workers in planning for a healthier workplace • Find out about needs and concerns of employees • Determine potential risks in the workplace • Look at what other companies do • Establish priorities • Develop a plan • Consider how to phase in changes • Decide who will be responsible • Raise awareness about the new policy or program • Implement the changes • Follow-up to make sure initiatives meet needs • Decide on further actions

16. Education that Makes a Difference • Education programs are often the easiest change a workplace can make. • Education can take many forms including posters, brochures, fairs, lunch and learns, displays, information packages, newsletters, or workshops. • Combinations of these approaches will have a stronger impact than a single approach.

17. Education that Makes a Difference • During pregnancy, workers are highly motivated to look at their health. • Timely information may be enough for women to make significant health changes. • Proactive workplaces have packages of information ready for pregnant workers. • Encourage women to check Material Safety Data Sheets about specific concerns. • Due to literacy and language barriers, you may need to help some workers to understand the information in written pregnancy materials.

18. Examples of Pregnancy Friendly Education • Talk to pregnant workers about ways to reduce risks • Have quit smoking resources on hand • Put up displays and posters about healthy choices • Bring in community agencies for presentations • Put together a binder of community services • Provide peer support training for co-workers • Train supervisors to be supportive and sensitive • Hand out a package of information about healthy pregnancies • Talk to workers about options for maternity/ parenting leave

19. Policies that Make a Difference • Policies set the tone of the workplace. They are a means of keeping in place important programs that reflect workplace values. • Many general policies impact on the health of pregnant women. Perhaps you already have some in place. • Every additional change you make has the potential to help pregnant women. • Involve workers in policy making whenever possible. Those most directly affected by the policy must buy into it for it to be effective.

20. Examples of Pregnancy Friendly Policies • Transportation plan for emergency medical care • Emergency First Aid Plan • Smoke-free Workplace • Light Duty Policy • Flex-time and Part-time Options • Job Sharing Options • Employee and Family Assistance Program

21. Practices that Make a Difference Policies and education programs are not enough on their own. Good policies need to come into practice to be helpful to workers. A supportive workplace environment has a great impact on producing lasting changes in employee health.

22. Supportive Workplaces • Provide positive feedback and encouragement • Engage in two way communication • Show respect, mentor & empower employees • Recognize employees have a life outside of work • Offer support and flexibility to balance conflicting demands

23. Employees in Supportive Workplaces Are: • Less likely to be stressed • More satisfied and committed to their jobs • More likely to agree with company policies • More likely to trust management • Absent fewer days and work more hours in a week

24. Examples of Pregnancy Friendly Practices • Protect your workers from reproductive hazards • Encourage pregnant women to check Material Safety Data Sheets • Provide appropriate protective equipment • Ensure good ventilation, safe temperatures and noise levels • Be flexible to accommodate medical appointments • Schedule short breaks at least every 2 hours • Provide a place where women can rest on their breaks • Have a positive attitude towards pregnant employees • Help workers make small changes to reduce risks

25. Medical Help In most cases pregnant women can continue to work with few accommodations. Occasionally a pregnant worker will need urgent medical care. Be prepared.

26. Medical Help Help pregnant women get to the hospital right away if they have any of the following symptoms or if they say something does not feel right: • Bad cramps or stomach pains that don’t go away • Bleeding, trickle or gush of fluid from the vagina • Increase in the amount of vaginal discharge • Lower back pain or pressure, or a change in lower backache • A feeling the baby is pushing down • Fever, chills, dizziness, vomiting or a bad headache • Blurry vision or spots before the eyes • Sudden or severe swelling of the feet, hands or face • Contractions, or change in the strength/number of contractions • A significant change in the baby’s movements It is important for pregnant women with any of these symptoms to get to the hospital or see a doctor. Do not delay.

27. Resource Used for this Overview Based on information provided by the Best Start Resource Centre, Ontario, Canada How to be a Pregnancy Friendly Workplace: Policies and Practices that Make a Difference http://www.beststart.org/resources/wrkplc_health/pdf/Preg_friendly_work.pdf

28. Additional Resources • WISHA Core Safety Rules (WAC 296-800) (Basic safety and health rules needed by most employers in Washington State) http://www.lni.wa.gov/wisha/rules/corerules/default.htm • Additional Safety Rules (Lead, Material Safety Datasheets (MSDS) , Respiratory Hazards, Ladders, Hearing conservation, etc.) http://www.lni.wa.gov/Safety/RULES/Find/RuleName/default.htm • MSDS Search http://www.msdssearch.com/msdssearch.htm • Look for more in-depth modules on many of the topics covered in this module at : http://www.lni.wa.gov/Safety/TrainTools/Online/Courses/default.asp • Workplace Hazards to Reproduction and Development http://www.lni.wa.gov/Safety/Research/files/repro_dev.pdf

29. WISHA Consultation Services Safety & Health program review and worksite evaluation • By employer invitation only • Free • Confidential • No citations or penalties • Letter explains findings • Follow-up all serious hazards For additional assistance, you can call one of our consultants. Click below for local L&I office locations: http://www.lni.wa.gov/Safety/Basics/Assistance/Consultation/consultants.asp

30. Thank you for taking the time to learn about safety and health and pregnant workers.